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Air War Archive, Heinkel He 111, The Latter Years – The Blitz and War in the East to the Fall of Germany

The Air War Archive series is proving a very popular frontline books collection and this new addition brings the Heinkel He 111 story up to the end of WWII.The He 111 was an example of an aircraft that was in heavy use from the Spanish Civil War to the capitulation of Germany in 1945 – Most Recommended.

NAME: Air War Archive, Heinkel He 111, The Latter Years – The Blitz
and War in the East to the Fall of GermanyFILE: R2695AUTHOR: Chris GossPUBLISHER: frontline, Pen & SwordBINDING: soft backPAGES: 158PRICE: £14.99GENRE: Non FictionSUBJECT: WWII, World War 2, World War Two, Second World War,
Heinkel, medium bomber, twin engine bomber, torpedo bomber,
tactical bomber, five engine tug, glider tug, transport, Heinkel
111Z, blitz, strategic bombingISBN: 978-1-84832-445-9IMAGE: B2695.jpgBUYNOW: http://tinyurl.com/yba23gbuLINKS: DESCRIPTION: The Air War Archive series is proving a very popular
frontline books collection and this new addition brings the Heinkel
He 111 story up to the end of WWII.The He 111 was an example of an
aircraft that was in heavy use from the Spanish Civil War to the
capitulation of Germany in 1945 – Most Recommended.For all the reputation of Germany as home of the 'master race' and
unique master planning nation, WWII exposed all of the weaknesses
behind the myths and showed that Germany was incapable of planning
the war that it caused. Hitler and the Nazis presided over chaos
and let ideology trump military and industrial planning. The opening
stages of WWII seemed to support the myths as German arms triumphed,
but the reality was that Germany lost the war from the invasion of
Poland.The He 111 is one of the many examples of weakness in aircraft
design and manufacture for the needs of a major war against
industrial nations.When the He 111 appeared over Spain, it was able to depend on air
superiority won by German fighter aircraft. It was successful in
support of troops and as a strategic weapon, bombing largely
civilian targets. It enjoyed a similar success in Poland where it
again benefited greatly from the rapid destruction of the Polish
Air Force, mainly on the ground. When the Germans rolled into the
Low Countries, Denmark and Norway they did not face modern fighter
aircraft and command and control systems. In France, the story was
somewhat different. There was still a lack of radar supported
command and control, but French fighters presented more serious
opposition and the handful of RAF Hurricanes acquitted themselves
very well, rapidly shooting down numbers of German bombers,
including the He 111. When the Heinkel bomber appeared over London,
it felt the full force of a well-trained and commanded force as the
RAF combined modern fighters, at least equal to German machines,
with the most advanced and fully integrated command and control
system. From there on, German He 111 squadrons continued to fight
with determination, but were fighting a losing battle because the
design had not been updated or replaced by better equipment. The He 111 suffered the deficiencies of other German bombers in that
their design assumed air superiority and a primary role of
supporting fast advancing ground troops and armour, with strategic
bombing seen as a secondary requirement.The result was that the He 111 carried a relatively small bomb load
in a cellular bomb bay, had a modest speed, a relatively short range
and a defensive armament that was totally inadequate against modern
fighters of the type equipping the RAF. A fast eight gun fighter
was usually only in the sights of a single rifle calibre machine gun
and there were several blind spots where no machine gun could cover
the attacking fighter. The RAF was equipped mainly with similarly inadequate medium bombers
in 1939, but the RAF were able to look forward to significantly more
effective four engine heavy bombers replacing most medium bombers in
the strategic bombing roll, having very much heavier defensive
armament in power-operated turrets, long range, and a very much
heavier bomb load. However, the RAF had always been tasked primarily
with strategic bombing, pioneered by the Royal Naval Air Service
during WWI before the formation of the RAF. Even the newer medium
bombers from 1939 were longer ranged and much more heavily armed,
with the ability to carry greater bomb loads over the longer
distances.This book tells the story of the He 111's latter years with
excellent photographs and captions. It covers the bombers but it
also covers the additional roles introduced during the war because
newer designs were not being introduced. The Heinkel as also used
as a freight aircraft and as a glider tug, with the He 111Z
comprising two He IIIs joined by a common central wing and with a
fifth engine. This will be a popular book.